The King's Academy Risk Assessment Policy and Procedure 2010

Transcription

1 The King's Academy Risk Assessment Policy and Procedure 2010 Page 1 of 12

2 Background and Purpose This policy forms part of and should be read in conjunction with the Health and Safety Policy it is designed to confirm how The Kings Academy will address the requirement to undertake Risk Assessments so as prevent or control the hazards and risks presented to its staff, students and where appropriate members of the public potentially affected by the activities of The Kings Academy and thereby comply with the provisions of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations The policy requires all managers, on behalf of the The Kings Academy and their respective educational establishments to: ensure all existing activities are subject to a valid risk assessment with suitable and sufficient preventive and protective measures planned and implemented; avoid any activity, which involves a risk to health and/or safety which has not been subject to an existing risk assessment; ensure all new purchases of materials, work/curriculum equipment etc which could foreseeably present any risk to health and/or safety are subject to a valid risk assessment prior to being purchased with suitable and sufficient preventive and protective measures designed in at the outset; ensure all new activities are subject to a valid risk assessment prior to being introduced with suitable and sufficient preventive and protective measures designed in at the outset; implement the appropriate preventive and protective risk control measures, including the provision of training and information necessary to reduce the risk to health and/or safety to the lowest reasonably practicable level; review the assessments as necessary to ensure they remain valid. This policy is required to comply primarily with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations To ensure a uniform approach is taken to risk assessment and to assist managers in this process this procedure has been produced which identifies the methodology to be followed and format for recording the findings, training for managers in applying this standard will be regularly available. Organisational Scope This policy applies to all existing and proposed The Kings Academy on and off site activities, and to all of the educational establishments within the Foundation. Students for the purposes of the relevant legislation are deemed as members of the public and as such are required to be protected from exposure to specific work or curriculum related hazards presented by the activities of The Kings Academy and those of the educational establishments within the Foundation. Page 2 of 12

3 Where staff are classified as home workers equivalent risk assessment arrangements to ensure their work activities comply with the appropriate standards are required, this may be achieved by a manager undertaking a home visit or by the use of self completed documentation. All external agents, contractors and employers operating on The Kings Academy or affected by The Kings Academy activities will be expected to have suitable and sufficient risk assessments, designed to cover their operation, which are aligned with The Kings Academy originated risk assessments to ensure effective co operation and co ordination of the work. Definitions Risk Assessment A formal systematic analysis of a work related task or activity which identifies the hazards and level of risk presented so as to assist in the determination of suitable and sufficient preventive and protective measures so far as is reasonably practicable. Hazard Something arising out of a work situation, which has the potential to cause harm to an individuals health and/or safety. Risk The term used to describe the likelihood that a hazard is realised taking into account the severity of the outcome. Policy Statements The Kings Academy recognises and readily accepts the benefits that accrue from the use of the principles and practices relating to risk assessment as a means of determining suitable and sufficient arrangements for the management of health and safety. All existing activities undertaken by The Kings Academy will be subject to a retrospective risk assessment in accordance with the methodology of approach detailed in the accompanying procedure, records of the resulting assessments will be held within the respective Department /Curriculum area as appropriate to assist in the implementation of any specified risk control measure. Generic organisational risk assessments will be produced on behalf of The Kings Academy as part of the overall development of the safety management system, copies will be held on The Kings Academy s within the Foundation intranet under Health and Safety. Any manager, teacher or other member of staff planning to introduce a new activity will be required to undertake a risk assessment as part of the planning process to ensure all relevant health and safety issues have been properly addressed. Any manager, teacher or other member of staff planning to introduce a new article, substance or item of work equipment will be required to undertake a risk assessment as part of the procurement to ensure all relevant health and safety aspects have been properly addressed. Page 3 of 12

4 Within curriculum areas, where appropriate, the risk assessment should either be incorporated within lesson plans and schemes of work or at least referred to in the documentation. Students where appropriate, should be made aware of the assessments and the risk control measures relevant to their activities. The objective of this requirement to undertake risk assessments is to reduce the risks presented by any identified hazards to the lowest level which is reasonably practicable. All risk assessments must be subject to review to ensure they remain valid. Records A record of all appropriate risk assessments undertaken, along with any revision and associated documentation will be retained within each Curriculum area/department. Premises and fire related risk assessments and associated documentation will be retained by the Facilities Manager. All generic risk assessments and associated documentation will be retained by the Head of Health and Safety at ESF. Copies of all risk assessments produced by external agents, contractors and employers operating on The Kings Academy or engaged in or affected by their activities will be held by the relevant Curriculum area/department. Monitoring The operation of this policy will be subject to review in accordance with the Safety Policy and it s performance monitored by the Safety Committee. Risk Assessment Procedure Guidance for Managers/Assessors This procedure forms part of, and should be read in conjunction with the Risk Assessment Policy made under the overall Health and Safety Policy. It is designed to confirm how The Kings Academy address the health and safety requirements with regard to the use of risk assessments by management as a planning tool, at organisational and operational level so as to recognise, understand, assess and control the hazards and risks presented by their activities. Considerable emphasis is placed by current health and safety legislation on the employers need to have in place suitable and sufficient risk assessments, on all aspects of work that present hazards to staff, students and others, so that they are aware of the risks that may be involved and what measures have been taken by the employer to ensure a safe system of work is in operation. Page 4 of 12

5 As part of the legislative developments regarding the means by which health and safety should be managed, the requirement to carry out assessments of the risks presented by work activities is contained in regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations These procedures detail how the responsibilities with regard to the carrying out of risk assessments and the development of suitable and sufficient risk control measures will be met. Responsibility Position All managers are expected to have in place current and valid risk assessments covering their existing areas of activity/work, which address all significant hazards encountered by their staff and where appropriate students and visitors in their care. Prior to the introduction of or purchase of any new activity, building, machinery etc, a risk assessment should form part of the planning process to ensure appropriate risk control measures are incorporated in the plan and thereby properly designed in at the outset. All staff directly involved in the provision of a curricular activity are expected to ensure that current and valid risk assessments covering the lesson, which address s all significant hazards encountered by the students, and where appropriate the staff delivering the lesson, are in existence, current and sufficient. Such assessments should form an integral part of the schemes of work and lesson plans. The assessments should be carried out in accordance with the procedures detailed in this document. To ensure a competent uniform approach is taken, The Kings Academy personnel are expected to participate in the production of a risk assessment will be required to attend training in the procedures and requirements of the risk assessment process. Such training will be offered from time to time, as part of the continuing professional development arrangements. Where the risk assessment identifies hazards that are covered by specific assessments, the procedures in place for those assessments should be followed, the results of which should, where appropriate, be appended to the overall risk assessment. Hazards covered by their own assessment criteria include: Hazardous and Dangerous Substances Manual Handling Computer (DSE) Usage Fire Definitions Risk Assessment A careful systematic examination of a work task, situation or premises, which identifies any hazards, assesses the risks they could present and thereby assists in the identification of appropriate preventive and protective measures. Page 5 of 12

6 The process has 5 distinct steps: Step 1 identify the hazards Step 2 decide who might be harmed and how Step 3 evaluate the risks presented by the hazards and decide on the necessary preventive and protective measures Step 4 implement preventive and protective measures and record the findings Step 5 review, as and when necessary, to ensure the assessment remains valid. Hazard Something with the potential to cause harm. This can include substances, machinery, system of work, buildings, clients etc. Risk The likelihood that harm from a particular hazard is realised and taking into account the severity of the outcome. Young Persons A person between 16 and 18 years of age. Child A person below the minimum school leaving age (16). New and Expectant Mothers A woman who is pregnant, who has given birth within the previous six months, or who is breast feeding. Given Birth Delivered a living child or, after 24 weeks of pregnancy, a stillborn child. Procedures To satisfy the requirement to carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments, the procedure to be followed will: identify the significant risks arising out of work (trivial risks can usually be ignored); enable the manager to identify and prioritise the measures that need to be taken to contain the risk; be appropriate to the nature of the activity/work. The level of detail in a risk assessment should be proportionate to the risk. The purpose is not to catalogue every trivial hazard, nor are managers expected to anticipate hazards beyond the limits of current knowledge. A suitable and sufficient risk assessment will reflect what it is reasonable to expect. Page 6 of 12

7 There is no set approach as to how a risk assessment should be undertaken, but in principle they should be carried out as part of the planning process when new tasks, activities, equipment, premises, etc., are being planned, and when material changes are being considered. Managers undertaking risk assessments should ensure that they consult with all relevant staff, on completion of the assessments should be tabled at the Safety Committee prior to being introduced. The regulations requiring risk assessment also expect a retrospective application. Therefore, managers should use the procedures detailed in this document when they are assessing work systems and activities not previously addressed. In order to achieve the systematic approach required to ensure that risk assessments satisfy the suitable and sufficient proviso, the following steps must be followed; Step 1 Identify the Hazards When deciding to introduce a new system of work or modifying an existing one, the manager responsible must, in conjunction with other staff as appropriate, identify the physical, chemical, biological and ergonomic (including psycho social) hazards that the proposed work will present. Managers/assessors are expected to sufficiently research the development, calling upon other specialists where necessary, to ensure that all foreseeable hazards are identified and risks correctly quantified and controlled. Where the principles of risk assessment are being retrospectively applied, managers/assessors will also need to visually assess the system of work and refer to existing active and reactive monitoring data. Step 2 Decide Who Might be Harmed and How When deciding on who might be harmed, managers/assessors will need to identify all those categories of staff, visitors, pupils, contractors, and any other person who could possibly be affected by the work. Those at greater risk due to their immaturity, special needs, ethnicity etc., require to be specifically identified to ensure the preventive and protective measures selected are effective in all probable circumstances. Step 3 Evaluate the Risks Arising from the Hazards and Decide on the Preventive and Protective Measures Necessary An evaluation of the risks arising from the hazards presented by a specific system of work can normally be carried out subjectively by the manager/assessor conducting the assessment. However the policy determined by The Kings Academy requires an objective approach by using a risk ranking system, which categorises the risks into RED, ORANGE, YELLOW AND GREEN, see the appendix. Page 7 of 12

8 The preventive and protective control measures selected should be commensurate with the risk and follow a hierarchy which firstly ensures the risks are eliminated, then controlled with preventive risk control measures and then protective risk control measures being considered in turn, so far as is reasonably practicable. Preventive measures are those that prevent the hazard from arising, for example, banning smoking as a means of preventing fire. Protective measures are those that provide protection after the hazard has arisen, for example, providing a fire extinguisher to combat the fire. Step 4 Record Details Where the findings of an assessment are significant, they must be recorded. The record should represent an effective statement of the hazards and risks that lead to the relevant action taken. Managers/assessors must use the format detailed in the appendix, such that a uniform approach is taken throughout The Kings Academy which will allow the risk assessments to be integrated into the overall safety management system, by being linked to and transferable between other health and safety records and documents. The specified form will provide assessors with a means of recording assessments in a suitable format, ultimately the aim will be for these to be available on line to prevent the need for duplication. The findings should include; the activity and its location the significant hazards identified, which might pose a serious risk the likely consequences of the hazards details of those persons who could be affected the existing preventive and protective control measures where appropriate (when undertaking a retrospective assessment) and their effectiveness in controlling the risks. Reference to other documents is acceptable here the additional preventive and protective control measures required so far as is reasonably practicable and their effectiveness in controlling the risks. In most cases, managers/assessors will be able to undertake the risk assessments themselves, calling upon specialist advice as necessary in respect of unfamiliar hazards or more complex aspects of their area of responsibility. Generic risk assessments of common activities or aspects of work will be produced at organisation level, with implementation occurring at local level to prevent duplication. Proprietary assessments, such as those produced by CLEAPSS are acceptable as long as they have been tailored where appropriate to meet the specific needs presented by the lesson/location/class etc. Managers should ensure that appropriate information from the risk assessment process is brought to the attention of those staff and pupils to which it relates. Page 8 of 12

9 Step 5 Review To ensure the risk assessment remains valid, it should be subject to a routine review, at least annually, or when changes in the activity could affect the hazard and the risk presented. Monitoring information such as that obtained during a routine inspection or following an accident investigation may also identify the need to review a risk assessment. Page 9 of 12 Young Persons/Children Young persons/children may be particularly at risk from hazards presented by work activities because of their lack of awareness, experience and maturity. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the Health and Safety (Young Persons) Regulations 1997, address this by requiring specific risk assessments to be made for young persons at work or general risk assessment to be reviewed to take account of young persons. A similar approach should be taken when assessing the risks experienced by young pupils, either on or off site. When making or reviewing a risk assessment, Managers who have, or are about to appoint young persons, are required to take particular account of; the inexperience, lack of awareness of risks and immaturity of young persons, the fitting out and layout of the workplace and the workstation, the nature, degree and duration of exposure to physical, biological and chemical agents, the form, range and use of work equipment and the way in which it is handled, the organisation of processes and activities, the extent of the health and safety training provided or to be provided to young persons. The wider aspects of child protection issues, including CRB checks, social interactions, different peer groups etc should also be considered as part of the overall risk assessment process. The Kings Academy will not employ a young person for any work; which is beyond their physical and psychological capability, involving harmful exposure to agents which are toxic or carcinogenic, cause inheritable genetic damage or harm to an unborn child or which in any other way chronically affects human health, involving the risk of accidents which it may reasonably be assumed cannot be recognised or avoided by young persons owing to their insufficient attention to safety or lack of experience or training, in which there is a specific risk to health from; extremes of cold or heat, noise, or vibration. Where young persons below minimum school leaving age are to be employed (this includes those on Work Experience), or are to be allowed to undertake work related schemes, relevant and comprehensive information on the risk assessment findings must be made available to the child s parent.

10 The information to parents need not be supplied in writing but if not, managers must still have a way of confirming that relevant and comprehensible information has been provided. Where the young persons are pupils on activity visits or similar then these issues should be addressed by the specific risk assessments relevant to their activities. New and Expectant Mothers New and expectant mothers may be particularly at risk from certain hazards namely, physical, biological and chemical agents; and processes and working conditions, which may harm their pregnancy or affect their health and safety and that of their unborn/newly born child. To assist managers when carrying out risk assessments on new and expectant mothers The Kings Academy has produced a specific risk assessment procedure designed to address the additional risks that could be presented to the unborn child or child of a woman who is still breast feeding. Where any assessment reveals potential risks to new and expectant mothers, all female staff of childbearing capacity that could be affected, must be provided with relevant information about the potential risks and the action that will be taken to prevent exposure should they become pregnant. Where a member of staff informs their line manager that they are pregnant a specific risk assessment should be undertaken into that an individuals specific circumstances. Where the new and expectant mothers are students then these issues should be addressed by the specific risk assessments relevant to their activities. Managers are required to subject risk assessments for new and expectant mothers to routine and regular review to ensure the risk assessment remains effective in addressing the needs of the different stages of pregnancy and of breast feeding. Page 10 of 12

11 Activity: Reference No: Assessed By: Location: Approved By: Issue Date: Revision Date: Risk Assessment Hazard Consequences Persons affected Existing Control Measures (Where appropriate) Severity Likelihood Total Risk Additional Measures (Where appropriate) Severity Likelihood Total Risk Page 11 of 12

12 Risk Assessment Matrix RISK SEVERITY LIKELIHOOD 5 5 (O) 10 (R) 15 (R) 20 (R) 25 (R) 5 Fatality 5 Almost Certain 4 4 (O) 8 (O) 12 (O) 16 (R) 20 (R) 4 Major injury 4 Probable Severity 3 3 (Y) 6 (Y) 9 (Y) 12 (Y) 15 (Y) 3 First Aid administered 3 Possible 2 2 (G) 4 (G) 6 (Y) 8 (Y) 10 (Y) 2 Minor injury 2 Remote 1 1 (G) 2 (G) 3 (G) 4 (Y) 5 (Y) 1 Negligible impact 1 Improbable G Green Y Yellow O Orange R Red Likelihood The aim is to reduce the risk by prevention or control measures so far as is reasonably practicable. Risk Red Very high stop the activity Orange High additional measures required Yellow Medium tolerable subject to monitoring Green Low acceptable keep under review Severity Fatality Self explanatory Major injury Reportable incident under RIDDOR First aid administered treatment required from first aider Minor injury cuts and abrasions Negligible impact No injury Likelihood Almost certain Self explanatory Probable Likely to occur Possible Has the potential to occur Remote Unlikely to occur Improbable Not foreseeable Page 12 of 12